Hero Hunters Review — not your ordinary cover system

Boom, we finally get to run around with the latest from veteran crew Hothead Games, Hero Hunters.

So what’s the story here? You got your core commando fare: we’re 50 or so years into the future — a decade after the so-called Zero Day. Biological weapon? Check. Collapse of civilization? Yep. Big bad guy? Of course. His name is Kurtz, and it’s your job to get a team of hardcore fighters to ferret him out of his enclave. Of course, he’s holed up with plenty of equally weathered mercs, so it’s not going to be easy.

Off the bat, you get a really nice looking game from a visual standpoint. The use of colors really pops, and the animations are smooth. The sound is effective, and it all looks great in the default landscape orientation.

In gameplay terms, Hero Hunters boils down to a cover system shooter. The goal is to beat each level, which has something to do with bringing Kurtz down. The initial sequences serve as a tutorial, showing you how to the basics with the virtual buttons: aim, shoot, duck and more. As with most games of this type, the idea is to shoot, duck, and even dive to a new protective perch if, say, a grenade is launched at your position. Here, you get to check out what you might consider to be the game’s standout feature: the ability to switch fighters on the fly.

To better explain, you control a group of fighters… to start out, you get two, each with a different vantage points and different special traits. During the action, you might be having a slow go, or even not have a good angle to take out the baddies. Well, you can tap to switch team members, and have an all new vantage point. Then, the idea is to use everything in your arsenal to win and advance.

Success yields XP, gear and game coin, which can — and really must — be used to improve the stock of your characters, especially in the face of enemies that get more dangerous with every successive level. Even cooler, as you gain XP, you unlock new team members. It goes on and on, with interesting weapons, different play modes and a host of action set in interesting places. The game gives plenty of opportunities to use real cash, but can be played without.

It works very well, actually.

My personal gripe is an admittedly nitpicky one; seriously, I get the buxom soldier trope, yes, but if there was ever a reason to use Kevlar to project gender equality, this could have been it. Seriously.

Off my soapbox. It’s a seriously enjoyable game, and worth the time it takes to try it out.

Trust us.

Hero Hunters Review — not your ordinary cover system Rundown

9

Graphics/Sound - Intricate looks and magnificent use of color, plus an admirable mix of arcade and battle sounds.

8

Controls - Virtual bank set for dual thumb control.

9

Gameplay - Cover system (with a twist) and RPG elements make it very enjoyable.

9

Replay Value - Tough to get away from once unleashed.

9

Overall - Well done game, with a simple concept and easy-to-follow storyline.